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WGLT's reporting on the coronavirus pandemic, which began in McLean County in March 2020.

9 Children Among New COVID Cases; Testing Positivity Rate Falls

Health department sign
Emily Bollinger
/
WGLT
The health department on Monday provided age-specific information about new cases for the first time in over a week.

Two more people with COVID-19 are hospitalized, as McLean County health officials on Monday reported 46 new cases across many age groups, including nine children.

There are now eight people hospitalized, including two people in intensive care, the McLean County Health Department reported Monday. Those eight patients, plus 1,295 others who are isolating at home, mean there are now 1,303 active cases in McLean County. That is a new record.

Of the 46 new cases, 25 of them were people between the ages of 18-29. That college-aged population has been the driver for a recent surge in cases.

But the 46 new cases also include two babies (under age 1) and seven children 17 and under, according to MCHD.

The health department on Monday provided age-specific information about new cases for the first time in over a week. The department had stopped providing age and other demographic information as its staff became overwhelmed with case investigation and contact tracing efforts.

That demographic information will be helpful as Bloomington-Normal leaders evaluate whether a surge in cases tied to Illinois State University is spreading into the broader community or staying relatively contained near campus.

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ISU has not yet reported its new cases Monday, as of 10 a.m. Its on-campus testing sites have been closed for the Labor Day weekend, which led to a steep decline in testing results being reported Saturday and Sunday. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has kept some of its testing sites open over the holiday weekend.

McLean County's testing positivity rate (7-day average) fell to 11.2%.

Bloomington-Normal on Monday ranked No. 7 among all U.S. metro areas with the most new cases per capita in the past two weeks, according to The New York Times.

Coronavirus - Testing Positivity Rate
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Ryan Denham is the digital content director for WGLT.
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